CHAPTER 32 – WITHOUT A PADDLE
John and Rodney stepped through the gate arriving at the SGC just six hours later. Partial quarantine had been at the half way station and this had John, fidgety and nervous and Rodney casting anxious glances at him.
"Sheppard! You're more antsy than normal. Something I need to know?"
"Can't get that feeling out of my head. Tilting, off balance. Something's shifted. I thought when I left Atlantis it would go away. Can't seem to shake the damn feeling."
Rodney was pensive. "Ok Sheppard, one thing at a time. Check out how things are on earth, then we'll go from there. Gina?" Rodney hated to ask, hated to see the lost look come into the Colonel's eyes.
"God, I hope not Rodney. I just don't know."
They had left Gina's dog in Elizabeth's care much to her delight. Given the no pets rule in Atlantis, she had had to leave behind her beloved dog with her partner Simon, and more often than not, missed his furry companionship. She was more than happy to take this little one under her wing for a short time. Elizabeth had also contacted the SGC to arrange an emergency meeting with Jack O'Neill, Cameron Mitchell and Samantha Carter and while it would take Sam a couple of hours to get to the SGC, Elizabeth had been assured that given the urgency of the meeting, they would all be on hand to meet John and Rodney when they arrived.
Jack was the first to step forward and shake their hands when they stepped through and Rodney's gaze was drawn instantly to Samantha Carter whom he had been not so secretly in love with for most of the time he had been involved with the stargate programme. He had mistakenly assumed that she felt the same way, never imagining that she had been involved with an infatuation of her own. That of her commanding officer, then known as Colonel Jack O'Neill. However, relationships were discouraged in the military if there was a direct chain of command and they had respected this. It wasn't until Sam had been offered work at Area 51 and she had stepped down from the SGC that they had publicly acknowledged their mutual attraction – much to Rodney's disgust.
John would have normally enjoyed teasing Rodney openly about this, in fact given most opportunities, he had managed to do so. However his feelings of unease had grown with his arrival at the SGC and he was now seated in the conference room, a rather concerned Jack O'Neill hovering beside him.
"Sheppard? Are you sure that little time travel stunt you pulled didn't scramble your brain? You look like crap!"
Love you too General! Was John's mental reply, but aloud he said. "Sir – feeling like it also.. Carson cleared me medically, apart from a bunch of philosophical conditions called presentism and … something else I can't even begin to remember..."
The general held up crossed fingers to ward off further technical explanations. He was well known for his intense dislike of anything too technical. O'Neill like the KIS theory – Keep It Simple and that was the code he lived by. John respected that.
"Ok kids – Elizabeth gave me the dumbed down version, knew that Rodney here would take great pleasure in confusing the crap out of me, so I'm in the loop – so to speak. But still confused. I'm me – but perhaps you think that I'm not anymore...hmmm?"
In spite of himself, John managed to huff out a laugh. O'Neill did that to him. Found the humour in most situations and pushed that forward first as a smoke screen. Made you think he was a harmless clown, then wham – went in for the kill. The man was innately skilled in that particular tactic. And John was not fooled. He knew exactly how much intelligence lurked behind those brown eyes and looking into them now, John took a relieved breath. He was still Jack O'Neill. One down – two to go...
Cam said nothing – just watched John. Cam was a player, always in the game, often flouting the rules but always getting the results. Bad ass flyboy who had saved his own ass more than once during missions in desert storm. Hell if there wasn't a debt or two there! He looked deeper into the man's eyes now, saw just Cam, same 'good ole boy' and knew that another thread was still pulled tight.
He felt the pain in his head that threatened to explode, saw Rodney partially push himself to get out of his chair and to get to John's side, but it was Sam who got there first, her clear blue eyes looking down assessingly into his, hand picking up his wrist to check his pulse – medical training coming automatically to her. He jolted as her hand touched his skin. Not Sam. Sam was different. And the chasm opened, shifted and sucked him in before sealing itself back up again. And he was left in no man's time without a paddle...